AFL, MCG and Etihad working towards a brighter future

Gillon McLachlan’s admission that the AFL had not worked closely enough with its two biggest stadiums has been warmly welcomed by the MCG and Etihad Stadium, with Etihad boss Paul Sergeant conceding his venue had been part of the problem.

''It takes two to tango,'' he said. ''Now we can put all that behind us and work towards a bright future.''

McLachlan had previously stated the AFL had not had a partnership with its big Melbourne venues but a relationship.

While Sergeant’s relationship with former AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou had been almost non-existent, MCCchief executive Stephen Gough, despite his close friendship with AFL chairman Mike Fitzpatrick, has endured often adversarial dealings with both Fitzpatrick and Demetriou.

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''It’s good to see that Gillon’s taken charge and working with both stadiums,'' said Gough. ''It’s good to hear those words.''

But despite the AFL’s frustration, Gough said the MCG’s multimillion-dollar plans to upgrade the stadium’s technology would not be in for the 2015 season largely due to constraints he blames on preparations for the cricket World Cup.

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Sergeant said his meeting with McLachlan last week had been his first with the AFL for many months. Although he pointed out that his senior Etihad staff worked with league officials on a daily basis, he agreed both parties needed to work harder and more collaboratively to improve attendances.

''I think it’s great to see Gillon come out and make the comments that he has,'' said Sergeant. ''But the AFL shouldn’t shoulder all the blame for what’s gone on before.''

Sergeant said his stadium, the AFL, the clubs and the media had a role to play in attracting better audiences at AFL games.

''I certainly think some of the commentary adds to some of the negativity around the game. I’m a big believer in allowing for and understanding that the media must do their job, but I think we’ve shot ourselves in the foot a bit talking down the game.

''It becomes whipped into a frenzy at times. It’s a fantastic game and one of the most enjoyable sports you can ever watch live, but it’s become too easy to be negative and then too easy to stay at home and watch it on TV.

''I understand we have a role to play with working collectively with our clubs to see how we can all do better.''

Sergeant added that AFL games involved ''a very complex ticketing matrix'', and said he was open to a more flexible policy on Etihad’s retractable roof.

''That’s something we will look at if it's what the AFL and our clubs want. There’s nothing wrong with the roof, but we have to deal with all the safety concerns. It’s a big moving part of the building and if you’ve got anything moving above their heads people get nervous.''

McLachlan previously told The Age the AFL was frustrated with the stadium’s inflexible roof policy and that when the occasion demanded it the roof should open or close during games due to weather changes.

Gough conceded the MCG had fallen behind the world’s leading stadiums.

''The Adelaide Oval is the latest stadium and I agree it’s in the front end in the world,'' he said. ''It should have all the best range of practices because it’s the newest.

''The first issue is the scheduling. Hopefully the AFL will give us a better schedule next season and better slots which focus on the fans.

''The second issue is that we need to work with the AFL and the clubs about how we can make improvements.

''We’re paying for it ourselves and it’s a complicated and costly exercise.''

While the MCG hopes to install its exterior lighting package adorning the ground in home team colours in time for 2015, Gough said the stadium’s new Wi-Fi provider, high definition big screen broadcasting, IPTV and improved telecommunication across the ground would take another 12 months to complete.

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